I had two classic ‘behind the beat‘ moments this week. The first involved taking the reigns in relation to a runaway situation. The second involved seeing something happen and letting it happen (temporarily). My two Deputy Directors were on leave at the same time for a few days so that temporarily exposed me and other… Continue reading Weeknote 5: on singing behind the beat
Sunday Scraps #122
I woke up at 6am so here’s a quick link dump before I head out to work. On existential cringe / reading another Ben Lerner book and one of the characters talks about milieu therapy / Slavenka Drakulić was pretty kick ass and I hope her last book comes out in English some day /… Continue reading Sunday Scraps #122
Looking back again
It’s amazing how long a nation can live with a bad idea. And how that idea ages, sours, rots and attracts all sorts of rodents. Of course I’m talking about Brexit. I was ten years younger when I watched the Newcastle results from a hotel room in Anstruther, where I was taking part in a… Continue reading Looking back again
Weeknote 4: there may be an I in design but don’t let that fool you
I’ve been reminding myself of what Jane Jacobs wrote: “[…] there must be eyes upon the street, eyes belonging to those we might call the natural proprietors of the street. The buildings on a street equipped to handle strangers and to insure the safety of both residents and strangers, must be oriented to the street.… Continue reading Weeknote 4: there may be an I in design but don’t let that fool you
Sunday Scraps #121
500 opened tabs on my phone are burning a hole in my pocket so here we go. I was delighted to hear Gener8tion (yes from that amazing video) studied art in Villa Arson which I visited last Christmas / Steven Ahlgren’s photographs of offices in the 90s are iconic / a lovely and deeply depressing… Continue reading Sunday Scraps #121
Weeknote 3: finding a pattern
I’ve figured out that my weeks are like sandwiches. Mondays and Fridays are quiet, while Tuesdays to Thursdays are back to back meetings. With a sample of 3 weeks, is it really a work pattern or a short term trend? That question lingered as I was drawn into a couple of conversations about service patterns.… Continue reading Weeknote 3: finding a pattern
Weeknote 2: unapologetic admin
Second week was a short week again. I thought about Ed Ruscha a lot. I sat in some more team check-ins and by virtue of repetition, words start to float up to the surface. I’m spotting patterns but it doesn’t mean they’re service patterns, they’re just activities each team has to develop in a… Continue reading Weeknote 2: unapologetic admin
Weeknote 1: What do we have here?
I spent a lot of time on dance floors when I was in my 20s and I have been jiving on and off since 2014. Sometimes you go to a night out in a venue you’ve never been to and you’re trying to find your friends either on or off the dance floor. Eventually you… Continue reading Weeknote 1: What do we have here?
Sunday Scraps #120
Back in the UK on Monday so these might still be orange blossom scented as I’m still in Greece. It’s been almost 20 years since I saw Martin Butler‘s The Girlfriend Experience and I wonder how you might recreate it today / going to have to buy this book on the history of home economics… Continue reading Sunday Scraps #120
Week 0 (thoughts on onboarding)
There’s a strong culture of weeknotes in government and I’ve been reading Frankie and Mike‘s on and off for years. Mine tend to be a mixture of magpieing and professional reflections so let’s see if I feel the need to shape them differently moving forward. To get me in the mood, here’s what I hope… Continue reading Week 0 (thoughts on onboarding)